Thursday, May 09, 2013

The Statue Of Bigotry

I can really relate to this story as I work as an "agricultural laborer" for a few months a year. I enjoy it, because I love the work, but it's the quality of the conditions I work in. The folks I work for may not pay me the top dollar, but they respect my work. They feed me well, they house me in a decaying chateau. I work hard, but if I so much as sneeze, they are there for me. I work with a multi national crew...French, Dutch, Algerian, Moroccan, English and me the sole American. I love the work and am inspired to work harder because I know I am respected and I am shown respect. I find it so troubling that agricultural workers in America are treated as expendable slave labor. In a few states they have even tried to use forced prison labor to pick up the slack of their xenophobia...and utterly failed. It's racism, it's classic social oppression. It's a social mental disease that infects the entire society. How dare they put breathing above the needs of the people they work for?No wonder they were tossed out!

A group of agricultural workers in southern California lost their jobs last week when they took shelter to escape the ash-filled air blowing down on them ahead of one of the wildfires currently blazing in that state. According to NBC Los Angeles, 15 workers went inside to escape the smoke, which was interfering with their ability to breathe. When they returned to work the next day, they were informed that they had been fired.“The smoke was very bad. There’s no doubt about that,” said Lauro Barrajas, one of the workers, who are represented by the United Farm Workers union.The wildfire, dubbed the Springs Fire was growing out of control in Camarillo Springs, California on Thursday, May 2. The workers, employees of Crisalida Farms in Oxnard, located 11 miles south of the fire’s center, began to cough and experience lowered visibility as smoke and ash rained down on them.Even as the air quality in the fields declined, a foreman told the workers that if they walked off the job, they would not have jobs to come back to. When they returned on May 3, they were told that they were fired.Farm representatives made a statement to Latin TV network Telemundo that the workers had clocked out without permission with orders still to be filled, hence the firing.Union reps, including Barrajas, met with the farm’s managers and applied a union rule, “No worker shall work under conditions where they feel his life or health is in danger.”Crisalida Farms settled with the union and offered the workers their jobs back, but all but one declined. The others have since taken jobs on other farms where they feel they are safer.

I immediately thought of the Lou Reed song, Dirty Boulevard....Lou is from Queens, but there's something in the honesty of his lyrics...this goy has been writing great American Pop Music since he was a teen in the 60's. The phrase in this song, The Statue of Bigotry seemed to sum it all up for me...Here's the lyrics if you want them after the break: Pedro lives out of the Wilshire Hotelhe looks out a window without glassThe walls are made of cardboard, newspapers on his feethis father beats him 'cause he's too tired to beg

He's got 9 brothers and sistersthey're brought up on their kneesit's hard to run when a coat hanger beats you on the thighsPedro dreams of being older and killing the old manbut that's a slim chance he's going to the boulevard

He's going to end up, on the dirty boulevardhe's going out, to the dirty boulevardHe's going down, to the dirty boulevard

This room cost 2,000 dollars a monthyou can believe it man it's truesomewhere a landlord's laughing till he wets his pantsNo one here dreams of being a doctor or a lawyer or anythingthey dream of dealing on the dirty boulevard

Give me your hungry, your tired your poor I'll piss on 'emthat's what the Statue of Bigotry saysYour poor huddled masses, let's club 'em to deathand get it over with and just dump 'em on the boulevard

Get to end up, on the dirty boulevardgoing out, to the dirty boulevardHe's going down, on the dirty boulevardgoing out

Outside it's a bright nightthere's an opera at Lincoln Centermovie stars arrive by limousineThe klieg lights shoot up over the skyline of Manhattanbut the lights are out on the Mean Streets

A small kid stands by the Lincoln Tunnelhe's selling plastic roses for a buckThe traffic's backed up to 39th streetthe TV whores are calling the cops out for a suck

And back at the Wilshire, Pedro sits there dreaminghe's found a book on magic in a garbage canHe looks at the pictures and stares at the cracked ceiling"At the count of 3" he says, "I hope I can disappear"

And fly fly away, from this dirty boulevardI want to fly, from dirty boulevardI want to fly, from dirty boulevardI want to fly-fly-fly-fly, from dirty boulevard

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Art & Culture Touareg

Groupe Coordination Aude Mali

Groupe Coordination Aude Mali assists refugees from Timbuctu with their basic survival needs in the refugee camp in Djibo, Burkina-Faso.
Most of them have gone back to their homes near Timbuctu and GCAM has restarted our school with 4 classes.
We already have more than 70 students attending every day but we still need basic tools and food which GCAM provides. We also pay the salaries of the 2 teachers.
With your help we could do major repairs on buildings that are partially destroyed. You can help us financing this school. A small donation goes a very long way. Thank you so much!

Groupe Coordination Aude Mali is a non profit NGO based in France. Please make a donation to support the Touareg victims of the crisis in Mali. Thank you.

About Me

Well, okay...I'm a Detroit boy transplanted to the wilds of rural France, hacking my way through the cultural underbrush.
I am an artist, I was a rock musician, professional chef and a railroad drawbridge operator. I'm just here to help.